Summary of FAQ on online journalism:
According to nerdyfact.com Online Journalism is a contemporary form of journalism where editorial content is distributed via the internet as opposed tp publishing via print or broadcast.
FAQ:
1. How is online news affecting traditional values of objectivity?
The factors that gave rise to objectivity in news (a relatively modern idea) are to some extent challenged by new media: there is no limitation on ‘channels’, so no need to control who has access to those to ensure equal voice. The need for a mass market and to appeal to advertisers is reduced, so publishers can be less ‘neutral’.
There’s a lot of literature on the weaknesses and limitations of objectivity as a news value – it’s worth reading.
2.How would you define a professional journalist in an age where anyone is able to publish online? Would you class a blogger as an online journalist?
A blogger is someone who uses a blog to publish content. The term is based on platform, not the content itself, so you can’t say a blogger is or isn’t a journalist.
A journalist is someone who practises journalism – it’s as simple as that. Being employed by a media organisation is not enough alone (otherwise ad sales, marketing, distribution and other staff would also be ‘journalists’).
3.Do you think it is now harder for the reader to recognise news from a reliable source?
No,People are more critical news consumers. Partly because of the spread of media education, partly because more people have become media producers in their own right, and partly because new media allows people to seek out the sources of news and/or competing versions of events.
But again, you need research to prove this, not just my opinion.
4.How reliable is online information?
It's a mixed bag, and should be treated the same way that professional journalists treat any other information that they find in the course of reporting a story. Good, reliable editing and filtering of information becomes ever more important on the Web, where anybody can publish anything and make it look substantial. Editorial "branding" becomes crucial.
5. How has the Internet affected print journalism?
The Internet is a time-saving research resource for journalists and editors, especially for reporters looking for background, if they care to dig and look. You also see a lot of articles, columns, syndicated features now about the Internet in print and broadcast publications.
6. What influences do online journalists have on their audiences, in comparison to mass media journalists?
While audiences for online journalism remain smaller than the audiences for mass media journalism, online journalists have the same influence on their audiences that mass media journalists have -- by choosing which stories to report; by choosing which facts, quotes, and other story elements to include and which to exclude; by choosing to tell the story from a particular point of view. A crime story told from the point of view of the victim will elicit a different reaction from the same story told from the point of view of the criminal, for example, whether that story is presented in the morning newspaper, on the 6 o'clock TV news, or on the Web. The Web's interactivity and hyperlinking gives the journalist more opportunities to examine multiple points of view in a particular piece than traditional, analog media. The lack of serious space limitations permits online journalists to develop a story more fully and to publish source documents and background material.
